


The Impossible Girl meets an impossible man

by Jboyles423



Category: Doctor Who (2005), The Thick of It (TV)
Genre: F/M, Older Man/Younger Woman, Slow Burn, fuckwald
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2019-03-22 03:58:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13755825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jboyles423/pseuds/Jboyles423





	1. Chapter 1

Clara had fallen in love with this city. It's noise, it's diversity, it's ability to always offer something new. She had moved here only a year ago from Cardiff after the tragic death of her boyfriend. She had found that remaining in the flat they had shared and working at the place they had both worked was unbearable. She made the decision to move and quickly found a job as a junior editor at The Guardian. 

She was finally at a point in her life where she was happy and content. She loved her flat, she loved her job and she had managed to make a few close friends. She hadn't found herself ready for a relationship yet, but she often found herself lonely and was aware that she would have to get over Danny's death eventually and venture into the dating world again. 

She walked to work most days and today was no different even though it was quite cold out. It was a chilly start to November and Clara had bundled herself up this morning in a thick black wool coat and black leggings under her burgundy skirt. She crossed the street and headed toward her usual coffee shop. As she neared closer to it she noticed a sign taped to the inside of the door.

CLOSED TODAY FOR MACHINE MAINTENANCE AND CLEANING. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE. WE WILL REOPEN TOMORROW AT 5 AM. THANK YOU  -MANAGEMENT

"Bollocks" she whispered and pulled out her mobile to google another coffee shop nearby. There was one with rather good reviews just a few blocks down. She headed that way and hoped the line wasn't too terribly long.

She walked into the door and was greeted by the end of the line. "great" she muttered. She decided to wait it out and took out her cell phone to check her email. While scrolling, she heard the door open and a loud Scottish voice walked up behind her in line. She didn't mean to eves drop but it was hard not to with him being a hairs breadth behind her.

"I don't give a fuck how you do it but it better be pushed the fuck back. If it doesn’t get fucking pushed back, I will drive the fuck over to your office, slice your arms off and use them to row out into the middle of the Thames to dump your fucking carcass. Do I make myself perfectly fucking clear you mincing cunt? Yeah, I thought so, fuckity bye.”

Clara heard him click the end button and pursed her lips together, trying to suppress her laughter. She heard the door open and all of a sudden, the man behind her stumbled into her. Before she could bump into the person in front of her, two big, warm hands grasped her shoulders and yanked her backwards.

”I’m terribly sorry, lass.” He said before turning around to glare at the cause of the disturbance, “I guess some people can’t grasp the concept of a fucking line!”

”Sorry mate!” called the young guy from the end of the line before resuming his phone call.

”You aren’t hurt are you?” He peered at Clara with eyes like cold, sharp crystal. 

She found herself unable to form words. His eyes held her captive, piercing into her. Predatory. He was so dreadfully handsome.

_Don't stare, don't stare, don't stare. You're staring you idiot! He's talking to you, answer him!_

She shook her head and blinked. "uh, yeah, I'm alright, I'm fine," she huffed in a nervous little laugh. He raised a quizzical eyebrow at her. 

"Really? because you're acting like a regular fucking space case right now." 

"Well, I..." She was interrupted by the barista at the counter calling for the next person in line . He put his hand on her shoulder and gestured towards the counter with the other one. 

"Coffee's on me for being such a fucking clutz, order whatever you want." Clara hesitated, "really, it wasn't your fault, you don't have to..." He bent down towards her ear and said in a low, menacing voice, just so she could hear, "just shut up and order the fucking coffee, love." 

Clara flushed, there was in instant heavy feeling low in her stomach, her mouth went dry. She felt an inescapable need to obey him.  

She ordered her coffee and stepped over to the side where others were waiting. He ordered his and paid the cashier, balling up the receipt and throwing it in the waste bin. He stepped over to stand beside her. Clara folded her arms and looked around at the people sitting and chatting in the shop.

 "Look at them all, sitting there, sipping their cappuccinos, probably talking about being fucking vegan." Malcolm leaned down to whisper in her ear. She giggled and nodded, "you're probably right."

The barista called out "Malcolm and Clara?" Her eyes got big and she could feel her cheeks turn pink at the mention of their names so close together. 

_what is wrong with you, silly. He just called your names out because both coffees were part of the same order. you're acting like a fool._

Malcolm sidestepped to the counter and reached over her to grab the coffees. His height had its advantages. He twisted the cups to read the names and gently handed her the cup. "easy love, it's hot." He then began to walk to the door. Stunned by his gentle concern, Clara followed behind him. 

The cold air hit her as they stepped onto the sidewalk and began to walk. She had to walk extra fast to keep up with his long strides, it didn't help he basically was jogging anyway. She finally caught up beside him and breathlessly told him thank you. 

"Don't mention it", he looked down at her, "you headed to work then?" She smirked and looking straight ahead, sarcastically replied, "no, i just like to get up at 6 am to go get coffee with strangely attractive older men and then accompany them to their place of work." She took a sip of her coffee and looked back up at him.  

He had cracked a smile on one side of his mouth and nodded, "well played, now if you'll excuse me, i have some infants to maim across the street." She glanced over and saw the government buildings. "Have a nice time with that, don't make too much of a mess." She waved to him. Mid-stride he turned around and walking backwards called out, "How about meeting this strangely attractive older man for coffee again tomorrow morning?" He had both arms extended out to the side in question. 

Clara blinked in surprise and before she could think, she had answered, "yes of course! I'll be there."

She watched him smile, nod and turn back around to walk into the door at Number Ten. 

_oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. Did he actually just ask me on a date? Did I just say yes? He's so handsome. What should I wear?_

Her mind was going at a rate of a million miles an hour. She made it to work and to her cubicle without even remembering how she had gotten there. 

She turned on her computer, put her handbag in her desk drawer and picked up her phone to dial her friend Amy's extension. She sat a few cubicles down. 

"Good morning, how's my favorite short person today?"

Clara wasted no time with pleasantries.

"Amy, I  got asked for coffee tomorrow by a man i just met today and i'm kind of nervous, but he's dreadfully handsome and older than me and i just need someone to tell me that i'm overreacting and it will be fine," she said all in one breath, clutching the phone to her ear.

Amy sighed and said slowly "Clara, you will be fine. A man who fancied you at the coffee shop asked you to  have coffee again. This happens in the civilized world hundreds of times every day with hundreds of men and women. You will go home tonight, pick out a smashing outfit and wow him in the morning with a smoky eye and red lipstick. Got it?"

Clara swallowed and took a breath. "Thank you, that's exactly what i needed to hear."

"Who is this bloke that's got you in such a frenzy?

"His name is Malcolm and he works with the government. He's tall, with brownish grey hair and has a foul mouth and i kind of fancy him too." Clara could feel herself smiling.

"Well if he's caught your attention then he deserves at the very least a coffee because you've been uninterested in a relationship for too long."

"You're right, I have began to want companionship again."

"Well, don't sweat it, things will go fine. Now, get back to work, I'll talk to you later."

Clara hung up the phone and smiled to herself as she pulled up her workload, "Strangely attractive indeed."

 

                      ----------------------------------------------------

Malcolm walked through the door at Number Ten and down the hall to his office. Hes PA, Sam, followed behind him briefing him on phone calls she had taken and memos she had sent out on his behalf. 

He threw his coat over the arm of a sofa and stalked over to his desk to begin his day. 

"Sam, I need to go to DoSAC later to pull out some toenails, but right now i need another coffee, black."

After Sam's departure, Malcolm thought about the events of the morning. He rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger and smiled. He hadn't asked a woman on a date in years and to be  honest he felt like a teenager again. It was only coffee, and wouldn't last very long, but he had asked her, and that's what mattered. 

Sam brought his coffee and asked him if there was anything else he needed. He thanked her and picked up the coffee and his coat and headed out the door to DoSAC. "Strangely attractive indeed", he thought with a smile. 

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Clara yanked through the hangers in her closet, wrinkling her nose as she sifted through the endless amount of tops, trousers, skirts and dresses. She really had too many clothes.

"Note to self Clara Oswald, a purge of your closet is in order very soon."

She continued to reject outfit after outfit until she came across an emerald green top with long sleeves. It was silk and had a v-neckline that showed just the right amount of cleavage. She pulled it from the closet and decided to pair it with a pair of form fitting trousers and some black heels. She had purchased the top while on holiday in Italy and had worn it only once before. She had forgotten how much she liked it. 

After brushing her teeth and throwing on some pyjamas, she set her alarm for an hour earlier than normal. Snuggling beneath the duvet she remembered how that low, scottish command to order her coffee had lit a flame low in her belly. A man hadn't made her feel like that in, well, ever. It had made her want to throw him down in that coffee shop floor and have her way with him. Definitely something she had never thought about before. She stared at the ceiling and for the first time, began to feel nervous about their coffee date. She shook her head and rolled onto her side, pulling the duvet up to her ears. 

 

A few blocks away, Malcolm was drumming his fingers on his kitchen table in front of an open laptop. He had pulled up a social media site and was scrolling to find her profile, if she even had one. He had become quite good at digging up dirt on people via social media and he was relying on that acquired skill to find some talking points for tomorrow because he had no fucking idea what younger people talked about in coffee shops or what she was interested in or liked. He figured this was an easy way to find out. All he had to go by was her first name and there must be a ton of Clara's in London. He finally spied a picture that looked like her. He clicked on the profile and smiled.

"Bingo, fucking found you." He rubbed his hands together and began to read aloud to himself. "Clara Oswald. 31. London, England UK." He scrolled further down to her photos. One particular one caught his eye and he clicked on it. She was in shorts and a tank top, wearing sunglasses, her arms lifted in the air. She looked to be in Greece, in front of the blue Mediterranean. "She's fucking beautiful" Malcolm muttered, his chin resting on his fist. He scrolled past pictures of her in Paris, Rome, some in front of the Great Wall of China. He was impressed. He had done a lot of traveling too, but not for pleasure. She had a few photos in clubs with friends, a few of her with people he assumed were her family, even a few of her hugged up with a young man. "Must be an ex-boyfriend since these were posted over a year ago." He went back to the main page and looked at her likes and interests. "Traveling, literature, music." He kept scrolling through various bands and artists. She seemed to be pretty ordinary, aside from the extensive travel. He gently closed the laptop and rose from his seat, turned off the kitchen light and headed upstairs to bed.

The next morning Clara found herself standing in front of the coffee shop, as nervous as a teenager. She took a deep breath and opened the door to the building. The smell of coffee and pastries greeted her along with a waving Malcolm from the back corner. She smiled and waved back and began making her way to the table. Clara hung her hand bag on the back of the chair as Malcolm pulled it out for her. "Good morning, you look lovely. Too bad the same can't be said about me, I look like I've slept on a fucking park bench with the fucking pigeons and stray cats." Clara giggled and said "Malcolm, you look lovely as well." One corner of his mouth lifted in a smile, "I ordered you the same thing you got yesterday so you wouldn't have to stand in that fucking cock up of a line over there." Clara smiled, "Thank you, i quite liked it yesterday. So, Malcolm, tell me about yourself. What do you do, what are your interests?" 

Malcolm took a sip of his coffee and leaned forward, his hands laid on top of each other. "Well, i like to psychologically maim government fuck ups, I enjoy making them cringe with fear and piss their pants when i walk in room, and i especially love to threaten journalists with blackmail that they didn't know i had, that's always a bit of fun." Clara was laughing and shaking her head, "while all of that sounds immensely fun, i think i'm more interested in outside-of-work Malcolm, what's he like, yeah?"

He tilted his head to the side and raised his hands into a steeple, "well, i uh, i like photography, and...I like to travel, oh and i have been known to go to a concert or two." Clara's face lit up at the mention of travel. 

"Where all have you been?"

"Oh, most every place really, but usually its for business, not pleasure. I did holiday in Italy a few years ago, it was nice, but going to a romantic destination alone was not my smartest decision."

She frowned at that. Thinking of him alone while in Italy made her inexplicably sad.

"I've been around the world, but then again, my sister is an engineer and works in a different country every year so i just pick up and go stay with her. It helps because all i really have to pay for is airfare and food."

He nodded, just content to listen to her talk. She stirred her coffee and spoke again.

"What is your most favorite band?"

"Ahh and here we come to the hard questions! Well my favorite musician of all time is, of course, Bowie...but i do love The Clash and The Sex Pistols."

Clara was impressed. "Do you like Caves?"

"I'm fucking old Clara, I like old school stuff. But i have heard of them, and their stuff is okay."

Malcolm's phone began to buzz and he checked it the incoming text message. His face became taught with anger and red.

"Is everything alright?" Clara asked him, her brows furrowed in concern.

"Yeah, just that some fucking cunt at the BBC has gained a piece of information that i need to take care of. Looks like we may have to continue this conversation over dinner, yeah?"

Clara smirked, "What makes you think i want to continue the conversation?"

Malcolm's face dropped and he looked at her like a stunned owl, his eyebrows touching his hairline. Clara couldn't help herself, she laughed out loud.

"I'm just joking, Malcolm. I'd love to pick this up later. I'm not free until Saturday night though, I've got plans for Friday."

Malcolm smiled a wicked smile, "I like it when you boss me around."

Clara stood up and took a step towards Malcolm, adjusting his tie and looking up at him she saucily replied, "I am rather bossy, but behind closed doors, i like being told what to do."

Malcolm's mouth ran dry. He arched a bushy brow, suddenly speechless. Clara turned around, grabbed her handbag and began to walk towards the door. Malcolm trailing close behind. They walked out on the sidewalk and Malcolm stepped up beside her.

"So Saturday night, say, seven o'clock?" 

She smiled up at him, all vestiges of her naughtiness erased from her face. "Sure, seven sounds good. You'll pick me up?"

"Yeah, text me your address." Malcolm wrote his number hastily on a scrap of paper he had in his jacket pocket and handed it to her before crossing the street. She tucked the paper in her handbag, "Have a good day, Malcolm. Don't be too beastly to everyone!" She began to laugh as he almost ran into the side of a post box trying to look back at her.

After leaving Malcolm, Clara smiled to herself. She normally was never so brazen with someone she barely knew, but there was something about the tall, dark, foul-mouthed man that made her want to be bad.

Meanwhile, Malcolm sat in his office in a daze. If his interest hadn't been peaked  before, it definitely was now! Her sudden surprising comment had left him extremely curious. 

"SAM! MAKE ME RESERVATIONS FOR SATURDAY NIGHT AT MURANO! 7:00!"

From her office, Sam replied to his instructions. 

"FOR JUST YOU?"

"FOR FUCKS SAKE SAM, NOT JUST ME, FOR TWO! DO I NEED TO COME IN THERE AND DRAW YOU A PICTURE?"

Sam smiled and shook her head, dialing the restaurant.

"I'M ON IT MALCOLM."

he leaned back in his chair, thinking of those dimples and that plunging green blouse.


End file.
